Egg-turning tray.



H. D. A. MILLER.

' EGG TURNING TRAY. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 6, i913.

Patented Jan. 5, 1915.

wmvas'sfs; "l- IIVI/ENTOH ,lmgmw Q f To all whom it may concern:

I ii an HENRY D. A. MILLER, or cHEH LIs, WASEINGTONJ Measles.

Be it known that I, HENRY D. A. MILLER, residing at Chehalis, in the county of Lewis and State of \Vashington, have invented a new and Improved Egg-Turning Tray, of which the following is a specification.

My invention, which in a general way, refers to improvements in incubators, more particularly relates to the means, in an'incubator, for supporting and turning theeggs during the. process of incubating, and

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it primarily has for its object to provide a 'simple and, inexpenslve egg holding and turning tray, in which the eggs are so sup-- ported that all of the eggs held within the tray. may, be simultaneously and uniformly turned.

Another object of my invention is to provide an egg tray for incubators formed of a series of independent egg holders. having gear connections whereby all of the holders may be turned at the same time and the said holders so constructed and cooper- 'atively combined that any one of the holdpeculiar arrangement of parts. all of which.

will hereinafter be explained. specifically pointed out in the appended claims and illustrated in the drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of my invention, so much of an incubator being I shown as is necessary to illustrate the praclli lit

tical application of my invention. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the tray, one of the holders being shown as being removed from the tray. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of one of the holders, the manner in which an egg is removed from or returned to the holder being shown.

In the practical arrangement, my mproved tray 'in its simplest form, comprises a rectangular Wooden. frame formed of the sides 1-1 and lids 2-2, the corner Joints of which are preferably reinforced by sheet metal angle plates 33 (see Fig. 2).

nee-TURNING TRAY.

sential feature of my invention. Any: de-

sired numberof holders may be used, three being shown, and they are so supported within the tray that they lie in close relation, are adapted'for being removed from the tray \VltllOllt, in the slightest, disturbing those holders that remain within the tray;

Each egg holder consists of two end disks 67, one of which 7, is in the nature of a cog gear,vand the cog gears of the several holders, when the latter is assembled in the tray interlnesh as shown. Each gear 7 has a short pintle 70 that journals in the covered sockets at in. one end of the tray and the disks 6, at the other end have like pintles that are removably held in the open sockets in the adjacent end of the tray. One of the pintles 70 is extended to receive an actuating crank, the turning of which causes the several gears to. intermesh and turn the holders.

Each egg holderincludes a series of parallel longitudinal rods 8 transversely so separated to provide for a snug fitting of the eggs therehetween. the ends being held therein end to end to prevent the eggs at the opposite ends. of the holder jarring against the end disks of the holders during the operation of turning them and thereby become broken, the ends of the rods 8 are turned down as at 80 to engage the rounded ends of the eggs, as shown. The rods 8 are resilient members, they being in the nature of spring rods of such resiliency that they may be readily separated by hand when it is desired to insert into or remove an egg from the holder, and to bear with sufficient tension on the eggs to effect their turning operations but'without danger of crushing them. By providing the tray with a series of independently mounted holders, each of which is reniovably mounted on the tray, it follows. that any one of theholders Specification of Letters Patent. I Patentigd Jan, 5, 1915, Application filed Jane e, 1913. Serial No 772,109. i I I The ends of the tray have their journal in the open socket, and then pulling the pintle at the other end out of its bearing. To remove the egg, the operator forces the rods apart with one hand sufficiently to permit of lifting the eggs singly, out of the holders with the other hand (see Fig. 3) the replacing of the eggs being likewise dccomplished. As the rods 8 are very flexible,

including end disks, and stub shafts carried thereby to enter said-bearing notches, a retaining plate at one end of the frame .for holding .the' shafts in the adjacent notches, the end disks at one end of said holders having gear teeth to intermesh, longitudinal parallelly disposed rods extending from one end'disk of a holder to the other end disk thereof and rigidly secured to the same, said rods being of resilientt material whereby to permit them to ,be

spread laterally for the insertion of the eggs and whereby the eggs will lie end to end in alinement with the longitudinal axis 8 0 of the respective .egg holder, all being arranged substantially as shown and for the purposes described.

' 2. In an incubator, an egg tray compr sing a frame, and a plurality of egg holders each independently reinorably mounted in said frame, and each of said egg, holders including a pair of end disks, and resilient bars connecting said end disks together, and stub shafts on said end disks, said frame having bearing recesses into which said stub shafts are adapted to be set, and removable means for holding the stub shafts at the end of the frame in their respective recesses. the end disks at one end of each holder being toothed whereby the sei'eral holders are geared together, and means whereby said holders may be turned on their stub shafts, said rods being yieldable whereby to permit them to be spread later ally for the insertion of the eggs, the egg receiving space between said rods being in longitudinal alinement with the axis of the respective holder, whereby when the holders are turned the eggs will be turned on their longitudinal axes.

HENRY D. A. MILLER. 

